Mapping out and building your home gym is a fun experience, but we'll admit: the storage planning is a little... meh. We get it: you need to operate within your available space and budget. Dedicating your hard-earned money to storage instead of putting it all in the latest and greatest gear is a tough one, so why bother?
Functional storage is essential when building a home gym. In fact, we asked our customers (and president/CEO) what they wish they knew when they were starting out on the home gym journey, and understanding the importance of storage and flow came up again and again. In this article, we'll walk you through the benefits of investing in home gym storage, the key considerations to keep in mind, and the best storage options for a Hydra power rack.
If you're on the fence about whether you really need home gym storage or not, we're here to change your mind. Incorporating space-efficient storage solutions into your home gym offers several benefits, including:
- More floor space - the better your layout, the more room you'll have to use your gear (and justify new purchases over time).
- Improved efficiency - you only have so many hours in a day. Functional storage ensures you know where everything is so you can get into your workout and move quickly between sets.
- Enhanced safety - tripping over a barbell or a wayward dumbbell puts your safety at risk. Let's skip the Final Destination scenarios, shall we?
- Extended lifespan - storing your equipment protects your investment. You're putting a lot of money into your setup. Spend a little more to take care of it. Also, RE: your lifespan, see the point above.
- Reduced clutter - your home gym should be a refuge where you get to focus on you— not on more stuff in your house to clean. Give yourself the tools you need to succeed.
- Improved motivation - clutter is bad for motivation and your mental health. Keep your gym organized so you can stay in the right headspace and eliminate some stress. Life is hard enough as it is.
So, can we expect to see you sitting at a park sipping a cup of coffee with a sign that says home gym storage is essential— Change my mind? Yeah, we thought so.
Have you ever watched a home improvement show, gotten super motivated, purchased a bunch of tote bins, then realize when the glow wears off that you have no idea what you're doing? Sorry, that was oddly specific.🫣
The point is you need a plan when sorting out your storage situation. No matter how great the design (and our Hydra storage options are pretty cool), storage solutions aren't truly functional unless there's planning and intention behind them.
Here are some top considerations to keep in mind when planning out your storage:
Consider the available space in your home gym and choose gym storage equipment that fits the space. The goal is to minimize your equipment footprint and maximize your workout area.
Consider the type of gym equipment you have and choose storage equipment designed to accommodate it. Some types of equipment requiring storage could include:
- Barbells
- Weight Plates
- Accessories
- Cable attachments and handles
- Dumbbells and Kettlebells
If you have a space-efficient Hydra Half Rack or Hydra Folding Rack, you may also need a place to store your accessory attachments while others are in use or when additional space is needed. Consider the weight capacity of the gym storage equipment to ensure it can safely store your equipment. Again, it's best to avoid Final Destination situations — and the cruel irony of smashing equipment you were trying to protect.
Choose gym storage equipment that allows you to easily access your equipment during your workouts. You don't want to throw off your groove mid-superset. Choose gym storage equipment made from durable materials that can withstand the weight of your equipment and the frequency of your workouts.
Consider the cost of gym storage equipment and choose a solution that fits your budget and your needs. Look for value, and avoid choosing the cheapest option. You know the Hydra series is all about modularity and compatibility. The racks fit any attachments that are compatible with true 3″ x 3″ tubing & 5/8″ holes and vice versa. Keep this in mind when exploring your options, and take advantage of that open ecosystem.
There are several types of Hydra storage attachments to choose from, so you can organize your home gym, your way. You can use one of our two extension storage options for a more permanent solution: The Hydra Batwing Customizer or the Hydra Rack Plate Extension. These two functional storage options are rack additions that extend the footprint and functionality of your Hydra Rack. The Hydra Batwing Customizer mounts to the sides of your power rack to unlock huge storage for weight plates and accessories in a small footprint. You can also use these to connect Hydra cable machines for an incredible home gym setup (see this gymspiration on our Instagram).
The Hydra Rack Plate Extension connects to the front or back (typically back) of any Hydra rack for weight plate storage or can be used as a wall-mounted power rack. Adding Hydra Rack storage extensions provide the best opportunity to add functional storage to your home gym without dramatically impacting your footprint.
These also create more space for attachments, with vertical or depth expansions to suit your needs. While horizontal barbell storage has its merits, dedicating seven-plus feet of wall space to a horizontal wall-mounted rack isn't always feasible. So what are you going to do? Lean your expensive barbell haphazardly in the corner and hope it doesn't tilt over like the Leaning Tower of Worst Decisions Ever? No, you're going to prioritize your barbells’ (and your own) safety and store them properly.
The Hanging Barbell Holder is a Hydra Rack-mountable barbell holder that keeps your barbells stored vertically — off the floor and close at hand for your next workout. This customizable option comes with one, two, or five barbell slots and can be wall-mounted if you prefer.
The rack-mountable Hanging Barbell Holder keeps barbells stored securely and conveniently on the outside or back of your rack (depending on your configuration). The customization ensures you get just what you need. This vertical barbell holder fits most specialty barbells (like the Safety Squat Bar) but could be awkward on the side of a rack — especially if your PR dance is all arms.
If specialty barbells aren't your jam and you prefer to stick to a basic Olympic Barbell or Power Bar, the Hydra Vertical Barbell Holder Attachment will do the trick. The Hydra Vertical Barbell Holder Attachment is a single sleeve attachment that bolts onto the lower portion of your Hydra Rack uprights and stores your bar vertically to keep your gym tidy.
This Hydra Rack-mountable barbell holder is ideal for a minimalist gym, keeping your barbell stored along the uprights and out of the way of vigorous PR dances. It has a lined inner tube to protect your barbell sleeves. This attachment fits Olympic barbells and may not be suitable for some specialty barbells. The single nature of the attachment may not be appropriate if you have a large barbell collection.
If vertical storage isn't for you, there is a convenient horizontal origin for Hydra Rack owners: the Hydra Barbell Holder Rack Attachment. The Hydra Barbell Holder is a unique 3D-printed set of rack-mountable holders sold in pairs. They're affixed to either side of the top of your rack so your barbell can rest across the open space and double as an extra pull-up bar. It doesn't get more space-efficient than this. Many home gym owners prefer horizontal storage, and this attachment provides the best of both worlds. It's lightweight, easy to install, and perfect for small spaces.
Unfortunately, you can't use the Hydra Barbell Holder Rack Attachment as a bar for kipping pull-ups, as the bar will jump out of the holder and ruin your entire day. It's also inconvenient for us short lifters who are vertically challenged (we see you... as long as you're not standing behind a tall person.)
There are several types of Hydra Rack plate peg attachments to keep your weight plates stored safely and conveniently on your rack. While we love our Bumper Plate Weight Tree, we appreciate the need to optimize space as much as possible. Let's start with the bolt-on plate pegs. Hydra 13-Inch Bolt-on Plate Pegs and 5-Inch Bolt-on Plate Pegs are securely bolted to the rack and hold standard Olympic weight plates. Most Hydra owners prefer to bolt them to the back outside uprights.
Similarly, Hydra Pin Plate Pegs offer the same convenience without the sense of permanence. These pegs drop in with a pin plate like a J-cup and can be repositioned as needed without getting out the toolbox.
Finally, the Hydra Change Plate Pegs fit Olympic change plates or fractional plates with three 8-inch pegs in one bolt-on attachment. The benefit of these attachments is the convenience of having your weight plates organized and easy to access — especially change plates, which are easy to misplace.
The only downside is the need to unbolt and reposition your pegs if you expand your attachment collection. Even so, it's just a few spins of a wrench to get the job done, or you can avoid the issue by using Pin Plate Pegs. Bands, clips, collars, chains — these small-but-mighty accessories have a way of getting hopelessly lost or tangled.
Keep your favorite accessories organized with one of our two rack-mountable Hydra accessory storage options: The Hanging Accessory Holder or the Hydra 12-Inch Utility Horn. The Hanging Accessory Holder is similar in design and functionality to the Hanging Barbell Holder, offering five storage prongs to hang your accessories. This accessory holder can be bolted to your rack or mounted on the wall. Hydra 12-Inch Utility Horn drops into an open upright hole and is secured with a cotter pin. This 12-inch loadable sleeve can also hold a couple of plates. Again, the benefit is organization and convenience.
Minimize your risk of band tangles and wayward barbell clips. Both options are easy to install and versatile. The downside of the Hanging Accessory Holder is the inconvenience of unbolting and rebolting if you change your mind. Hydra 12-Inch Utility Horn has a 100lb weight capacity, so it isn't ideal for storing several weight plates.
Investing in home gym storage is crucial to keep your space organized, protect your investment, and create a motivating atmosphere. We have several standalone home gym storage options — plate trees, dumbbell racks, etc. — but the beauty of the Hydra Power Rack series is the rack-mountable storage options. These are perfect for maximizing your space and efficiency while minimizing your footprint.
Consider your needs, budget, and space concerns as you work through the planning process. With these functional, innovative Hydra Rack storage solutions, you can take your home gym to the next level.
